Student activist and trips to Islamic camp

Zaman, 22, who was held in a raid in Walthamstow, is a biomedical science student at London's Metropolitan University, where he is head of the Islamic Society. The role brought him into contact with firebrand MP George Galloway.

He often went to the weekend camps in British mosques run by the Tablighi Jamaat movement, according to a friend.

The friend said he also attended the same mosque as two of the other suspects. The man, who would only give his name as Mohammed, 22, said: 'He is a good guy. If he sees any Muslims going wrong, he will have control over them, making sure they don't do anything stupid.

'He goes to the Queen's Road mosque in Walthamstow with Ibrahim Savant, who used to be called Oliver, and Usman Siddique.

'He used to go on Tablighi Jamaat camps, which is a group that preaches what Islam is all about.

'We would go away on weekend trips. All they do is talk about the beauty of Islam. They only teach peace.

'I am involved in Tablighi Jamaat and I am sure there is no one trying to pick up or recruit people from these camps.

'This has been a mess-up by the police.' Zaman's sister Safeena, 24, said his student role had brought him into contact with George Galloway many times. 'He saw it as his duty to stand up for his community and that's what led him to know George Galloway.'

Another friend said: 'Waheed is very sociable. Everyone knows him. He has got white friends, black friends, and Asian friends.

'He describes himself as British. He's a superman of Walthamstow. He has a good rapport with lots of people. He wants to be a doctor or a forensic scientist and I'm really upset to think this could have happened to him. He loves to play football, he supports Liverpool. I don't think he would have been mixed up in anything.'

One of Zaman's near-neighbours, Osman Adam Khatib, 19, was also arrested in the raids.

Neighbours said Khatib had just returned from a six-month trip to Pakistan.

Samantha Phillips, 18, a former school friend said: 'He used to always wear Muslim clothes and he used to pray about three times a day.'